Stage Set
by zephyrocity
Summary: And the curtain is drawn back for this dance of death. Giftfic.


**Synopsis: **(Take your places, everyone. Go on and smile, now—don't let the audience see you're afraid.) Demyx is always grinning as he prepares a new performance, telling his unknowing victims, 'Haven't you always thought it would be awfully romantic to dance in the rain?' (And the curtain is drawn back for this dance of death.)(For Hiei-Riku-RubedoFAN.)  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

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_Stage Set_

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White. 

It cloaks the walls, ceilings, and floors of the upper chambers, the extravagant balconies on the tips of each of the thirteen towers. Even the cells far below ground—where no one dares tread alone—shine with that awful monochrome gleam.

Yes, everything in sight is the colour of bleached bone, the bloodstains scrubbed at until they came away and no one who visits can see the traces of all the people that have died in these white halls. Everything is so very painfully bright—except, of course, for the black of the ninth Organisation member's coat and the blue sitar he hefts over one slender shoulder.

Demyx walks along one of the hundreds of identical corridors in the Castle that Never Was, peeking through open doors in search of someone to talk to. _Oh, no,_ he thinks when he finds his efforts to be in vain, worrying his lower lip and raking his hand distractedly through his short hair. _I thought we had a meeting today… maybe I'm missing it! _The Nobody pauses for a moment at this thought, eyes narrowing. "Why would I want to go anyway?" he exclaims gaily. "It's not like anything will happen." He shrugs. "I'll miss out on a chance to have the Superior yell at me, that's all."

"Number IX."

Demyx flinches and freezes, the hairs on the back of his neck pricking. Very slowly, he straightens up and turns around, his expression betraying his fear. "U-um," he says dumbly when he sees who awaited him, "hey, Saïx."

"Number VII," the Luna Diviner corrects, stalking over. His amber gaze is ice cold, and Demyx resists the urge to back up as the blue-haired man approaches with dangerous leisure. "The meeting has been going on for more than twenty minutes, now. What do you think you are doing?"

"The Superior sent you to get me?" the Melodious Nocturne asks meekly. When Saïx nods, he thinks, _It must be an important gathering, then._

"He is waiting," intones the older Nobody flatly.

"Y-yes," stammers Demyx, and is quick to follow Saïx down the twisting halls, the blonde's head hung like that of a runaway dog. No words are spoken until they arrive at the meeting room—and the ninth member of Organisation XIII feels very foolish indeed when he enters. He cowers under the stares of the others, keeping his eyes to the floor as he rises to his seat.

"You've finally decided to join us," says Luxord silkily. He is fingering a hand of cards and a malicious grin can be seen from underneath his hood.

Demyx's face goes slightly pink. "Yeah," he mumbles, and sinks further into his high-backed chair. "Sorry."

"Number IX," decrees the Superior, a note of annoyance in his voice. The Melodious Nocturne glances up guiltily, and then wilts under Xemnas' glare. "In punishment for your inane inability to be punctual, you are to be sent on a mission as of tomorrow morning."

"Um… who's going with me?"

Xemnas' frown deepens. "Alone," he says eventually, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "You're going alone, Number IX."

And that is that.

* * *

Early the following morn, Demyx obediently summons a portal of darkness for his mission. But as he has always been rather clumsy, he slips upon his entrance and winds up falling headfirst into the nothing. It is not long, however, before the blackness is gone and his skull meets cobblestones. 

"Ow…!" he mumbles, intelligently. Looking up, the young man finds that he is sprawled in the dirt of a dark and unfamiliar alleyway. The paved street is hard underneath his palms and knees, and Demyx forces himself off of all fours, dusting away the dirt staining his midnight robes. Sighing, he summons his sitar and hefts it in one hand as he glances around for Heartless.

Suddenly, a shriek splits the air, and his blue eyes are immediately drawn to the corner of the dark avenue, where a small creature with bright yellow eyes digs claws into a woman's chest. Her scream dies immediately, and her head lolls back, her dusty golden hair falling over the pavement in a silky curtain as a shining pink heart rises into the night sky. As the Nobody watches, he can't help but wonder if she was someone of importance.

The small Heartless leaps into the air and reaches out… but Demyx's sitar catches it before it can grasp the heart, and the little creature fades into nothing.

Something inside the blonde has snapped by now, and all traces of worry or a smile have faded from his unlined face. His eyes are narrowed and steely, his mouth tightening into a thin, serious line. He draws his weapon back, steps out into a large, empty courtyard, and begins to play.

His hands ghost over the strings of the instrument, and unleashes a haunting melody that floods the area, whispering through the minds of all nearby.

Within minutes, people are wandering out of their homes, their eyes glassy and each step forward slow and almost lethargic. They sway in time to the music, dull smiles lighting up their weary faces as they form a tight circle around the Nobody in the centre.

And still Demyx plays, his eyes closed now and his brow drawn.

Neither the people nor he notice when Heartless join the crowd, under the same trance as the villagers. They rock back and forth, their eyes misted over. The crowd grows steadily until they are a silent, surging throng, monsters and humans alike.

Above, the sky cracks wide open and rain begins to pour down. No one even looks up as they are very suddenly drenched; neither do they notice when water begins to pool at their feet, rising from the nearby drains and joining with the drizzle. The water quickly ascends, washing over their ankles, and up to their knees. Before long, it has reached their hips and is still rising.

The only one who is not wet, untouched by the flood from above and below, is the slight Nobody in the centre of the circle, his hands glued to his instrument. Finally, however, his eyes flicker open and they are just as clouded as his victims'.

"Haven't you always," he murmurs, a mysterious smile on his face, "wondered what it would be like to dance in the rain?"

They do not answer, too caught up in the beautiful song that is still streaming forward from the blue sitar. The Heartless go quickly, vanishing into plumes of black smoke as the water rises above their heads. The people do not notice as over half of their companions sink to the bottom of the whirlpool. The Heartless are not alone in death; there are children as well, still dancing as their shorter limbs tread uselessly in the water, still swaying back and forth as waves lap over their heads and cut off their breath.

At the end, the remaining villagers begin to understand what's going on, looking up and around. They pause, falling out of step and knowing that there is something terribly, terribly wrong—

But it is far too late.

Demyx is still smiling as he finishes his song with a flourish, his blue eyes glittering in something hideously _triumphant_. The water washes away as quick as it came; the rain stops as if a tap has been turned off and the remaining flood vanishes back into the drains. Suddenly, the blonde is alone in the courtyard with only dark stains where Heartless once danced, and the limp, bloated forms of those humans foolish enough to answer his song.

He steps over them carefully, his sitar balanced on one shoulder, and vanishes back into the alley whence he came.

With a flick of his wrist as he steps into his darkness, Dancer Nobodies, with all the grace of those alive, appear and pirouette into the middle of the courtyard, doing as their master bids and cleaning away the remains—closing the curtain after Demyx's beautiful dance of death.

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**Author's Notes:** I hope it didn't disappoint and you liked it, Hiei-Riku-RubedoFAN! 


End file.
